Area officials react angrily to deadly state of Highway 63

Chris Zdeb, edmontonjournal.com04.28.2012

The twinning of Highway 63 is under construction and just not far away from where this photo was taken, a head-on crashresulted in the deaths of seven people on Friday afternoon.Ed Kaiser
/ edmontonjournal.com

Site of the fiery head-on crash on Highway 63 that killed seven people on Friday afternoon about 50 km north of Wandering River and about 160 km south of Fort McMurray, April 28, 2012.Ed Kaiser
/ edmontonjournal.com

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EDMONTON - The Friday crash northeast of Edmonton that killed seven people, including two children, has once again raised anger and criticism about the lack of twin-lanes on the notorious Highway 63.

Don Scott, the Tory MLA-elect for Fort-McMurray-Conklin says his community is “outraged” over the deaths after the fiery head-on crash north of Wandering River and that twinning the highway that leads to Fort McMurray is “an absolute priority.”

Scott and Mike Allen, the Tory MLA-elect for Fort-McMurray-Wood Buffalo plan to push the issue when the legislature resumes sitting this spring, Scott said.

On Friday night, angry residents and travelers began to organize a rally in Fort McMurray on May 5th to mourn the lives lost on the highway and protest the delay of its twinning.

Friday’s accident happened when a northbound pickup truck carrying three people pulled into the oncoming lane to pass another vehicle and collided with a southbound pickup carrying six passengers. Seven people died. A man and a young boy who were injured remain in Edmonton hospitals.

Highway 63 is the main route from Edmonton to Fort McMurray and north to the oilsands, where thousands of people work and tonnes of material and equipment move daily.

Forty-six people died in crashes on Highway 63 between 2005 and 2009 and another 310 people were injured during the same period.

After years of public pressure, the Alberta government announced in 2006 that 240 kilometres of the road would be twinned.

To date, only 33 kilometres have been twinned — 17 kilometres north of Fort McMurray and 16 kilometres south. Thirty-six kilometres north of Wandering River should be completed by late 2013.

Melissa Blake, mayor of Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region, said she wants to see a “very clear” plan from the province about when the highway will be fully twinned after years of announcements and stalled construction.

“Ultimately, I am begging people to be conscientious on that road,” Blake said.

Donna Babchishin, an Alberta Environment spokeswoman, said there was never a committed date set for the twinning project.

“At some point the question was asked, could it be done by 2015 and the point was that physically it would be impossible to take on a project of this magnitude by that time, but people interpreted that as meaning there was a time line as such,” Babchishin explained.

“There’s is work going on all the time ... but there are limitations to how quickly you can clear the land because of land acquisitions and consultations that have to happen on the way. There are also physical limitations in terms of how much time you can spend in the field for environmental concerns.”

In Fort McMurray, the dangers of Highway 63 are well-known.

Tyler Griswold, a 14-year-old Grade 9 student in Fort McMurray, had friends that knew Shannon Wheaton, the pastor who died in Friday’s crash.

A midget hockey player who travels to Edmonton on occasion, the trip worries him each time.

“You pretty much place your lives in the hands of other drivers,” said Griswold, who has a learner’s permit. “People have to slow down and take responsibility when they are driving.”

A Facebook group named The Highway 63 Protest in Mourning of Crash Victims, was launched Friday night by Ashley St. Croix and Nicole Auser. The pair are organizing the May 5th protest, which will fall on Family Safety Day.

A convoy from Edmonton to Fort McMurray, or vice versa, that would force every vehicle on the highway to obey the 100-kilometre speed limit is also being considered.

“We’re standing up together to let the provincial government know that we’re all really tired of waiting for the twinning to be finished,” said Auser, who was born in Fort McMurray but now lives in Victoria, B. C. “We understand the barriers to paving a highway that has muskeg on it. We understand the concerns about caribou conservation, however, we’re just kind of sick of hearing all these reasons.

“Our whole community is mourning these seven victims right now and all of us feel this weight on our hearts whether or not we actually knew the victims, because living in Fort McMurray, you accept that at some time in your life you’re going to have to go through a tragedy because someone you know is going to die on that highway,” Auser said.

In the aftermath of the most recent crash, a Fort McMurray blogger’s impassioned plea to Premier Alison Redford to take immediate action on Highway 63 is generating support across the country.

Theresa Wells posted the open letter on her blog, McMurray Musings, at 9 p.m. Friday. By Saturday morning, 12,000 people had viewed the posting and 120 had left comments.

“As a dad of two sons who work in Fort Mac I applaud the letter,” posted Gaston Aucoin of Sydney Mines, N.S. “It is time for action to save lives.”

Another posted referred to Highway 63 as a “goat trial.”

Wells, 45, who worked on Don Scott’s election campaign, was inspired to write her blog post after learning the seventh victim of the crash was a teenage girl. “I happen to have a 12-year-old and 14-year-old girl and it hit very close to home.”

She knew the open letter would generate interest, but she’s been stunned by the response.

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